Life and Limb
by enjolraz
Summary: Things are about to get very interesting at Hogwarts this year, especially with Tom Marvolo Riddle running the show...
1. Unforget

**Title: **Life and Limb  
><strong>Rating: <strong>PG-13 for language, possible mild adult themes, mild violence  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>The world of Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, as do the fantastic characters of Tom Marvolo Riddle, Armando Dippet, and Albus Dumbledore.  
><strong>Pairing: <strong>Tom Marvolo Riddle/OC

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>There was absolutely no reason for Marie to worry, except for the glaring fact that she had nobody to sit with on the Hogwarts Express. In which case, she had every reason to worry.<p>

Marie bit her bottom lip as she stepped onto the train, aided in part by the conductor who was standing just outside the door helping other students get on. Okay. She was on board. Now to find a compartment with people to sit in.

This kind of problem wasn't universal for every other sixth-year on the train. After all, if you had gone to Hogwarts for the past six years, it was a guarantee that you had friends to meet up with and sit with. Ts wasn't the case for Marie. She had been attending Beauxbaton Academy for the past four years and was just returning to Hogwarts for her last two. Headmaster Armando Dippet was an old family friend of Marie's parents and had convinced the family to re-enroll Marie in Hogwarts for her final two years. There was also the fact that Marie had been expelled from Beauxbaton and really had nowhere else to go for her last two school years.

She had been a Hogwarts student her first year, though. She had made a few friends. She could recall their faces to her mind, but some names were distorted and lost to memory. Who could blame her? She had been at Hogwarts last in 1939 for the school year and then been shipped off to France.

Marie stumbled a bit and nearly lost her footing on an outcropping in the train. Luckily nobody seemed to have seen it, and so she kept onward.

Compartment by compartment that she passed by was full. The students inside stared out at the unfamiliar older girl who was still wandering around, trying to find a place to sit. Marie felt her face grow hot with anticipation. What if she found nowhere to sit down? What if this whole train ride turned out to be one huge disaster?

"Excuse me?" a small voice behind Marie called out.

She turned and stepped out of the way towards the windows in the train corridor, thinking that the person meant to walk by her. She was surprised when she saw the blonde-haired girl looking at her intently.

"Hi," the girl offered shyly. Her pale face was pretty, surrounding a pair of blue eyes and a small mouth. "Are you – I mean…what's your name?"

It took Marie a moment to form coherent words in her mind. "Marie. Marie Fugazi," she mumbled.

The girl's eyes twinkled. "You're Marie. Do you remember me?"

Instantly Marie knew why she felt odd around this girl. Apparently, they had known each other when they were in their first year together. Marie stared, trying to recall a name.

"You're…" Marie paused again to make sure she was right, "you're Victoria Ronan, aren't you?"

The girl smiled widely. Marie was right. "So you do remember me!"

"It took me a while," Marie admitted sheepishly.

The memories were back. She and Victoria had been close friends while they stayed in Gryffindor together. In fact, Victoria was Marie's first friend at Hogwarts. How could she have forgotten that so easily?

Victoria stepped forward and latched onto Marie's wrist. "You look lost. Come on! You can sit with us. There's so much stuff to tell you!"

"Likewise," Marie said as she let Victoria lead her down the hallway to a compartment at the far end of the train car.

When they passed by one compartment, the glass door slid open and a boy stepped out. It appeared as though he hadn't seen Marie and Victoria pass by, because he kept walking and banged right into Marie, sending her falling against the far wall.

"Hey!" Victoria cried out. She whirled to the boy. "Watch where you're going next time!"

The boy smirked and stared down at Victoria. "You telling me what to do, Ronan? Why don't you just move along? Nothing to see here, except my gorgeous face."

Victoria's face twisted into one of disgust. "Ugh. You're disgusting, Malloy. Honestly."

"Am I really? Or are you just saying that?" the boy asked, taking a step closer to Victoria. Marie watched on, confused.

Victoria put up her hands to the boy's chest and shoved him backwards into the door. "Get away from me," she commanded.

The boy opened his mouth to say something; he looked angry. Before he could, however, a second boy grabbed onto his shoulder and pulled him back into the compartment. The blinds on the window in the door closed off the view into the compartment, and the door slid itself shut with a loud bang.

By the time Marie could assess everything, it looked as though no such rude boy had ever existed in the hallway.

"Ooh," Victoria seethed. Marie was surprised how comfortable the girl felt around her. Then again, they _had_ been best friends years ago. Plus, Victoria was an outgoing person. "I _hate _that kid!"

"Who was he?" Marie asked as they began walking again.

"Perry Malloy. He's in our year. Slytherin. I hate him."

"You said that already."

"Can you blame me? Did you hear anything he just said? He's so arrogant and full of himself! Most of them are, you know, but for some reason he seems to be the worst of it and has the biggest mouth so people rag on him more often."

Marie allowed Victoria to rant some more as they found the compartment that Victoria had been looking for. Another girl and a boy were sitting across from each other, apparently having a conversation before the two other girls walked in.

The girl was also blonde but her hair was much shorter than Victoria's; it fell down to her shoulders. Marie recognized her as Victoria's sister Siobhan, who was a year older than herself. The boy was a stranger to Marie. He had dark brown hair and tan skin, and he grinned widely at the girls as they entered.

"Victoria! Have a nice summer? Siobhan was just telling me how your family went to Venice for the holidays," the boy greeted her.

"My summer was great, thanks for asking! How was yours?" Victoria asked as she sat down next to her sister. Marie, taking a hint, took the seat next to the boy, uncomfortable with his closeness.

The boy didn't seem to notice and he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Mine was swell. I didn't go anywhere, but Ferris came up for a week and stayed over. I haven't seen him since he moved further out into the country and started getting homeschooled."

It was then that Siobhan noticed Marie's presence.

"Marie? Marie Fugazi, is that you?" Siobhan gasped, leaning forward excitedly.

Marie grinned shyly and shrugged one shoulder. "It's me, all right. Hi Siobhan."

Siobhan let out a little shriek of surprise and bolted from her seat, grabbing Marie in a tight hug. Marie gasped in shock and felt her ribcage collapsing before Siobhan released her.

"Where have you _been _all these years?" Siobhan asked as she sat back down again, her eyes shining.

Marie had forgotten how fond Siobhan was of her despite the year age difference.

"I was studying at Beauxbatons. I told you both that," Marie recalled, looking from one Ronan sister to the other.

Victoria sighed. "You did tell us. But you never kept in touch. It was as if you had never existed, Marie."

"Am I being rude for staying here when this conversation is clearly something I don't understand?" the boy suddenly asked in a joking manner.

Siobhan shook her head. "You can stay here, Charlie. It's just…this is an old friend come to haunt us."

The boy, Charlie, nodded and sat back in his seat and shut his eyes, preparing to fall asleep and give the girls privacy.

"Why didn't you write us?" Siobhan asked. "It's not like we didn't try to do the same for you."

"We wrote lots of letters," Victoria added.

Marie nibbled her bottom lip again. What was she supposed to say? That she didn't write back because she didn't want to be reminded of Hogwarts anymore? Of the torture she had endured during her first year? And oh how she was tormented for being small, for being ugly, for having braces, for being unathletic, for being fat-

Her fellow Hogwarts students hadn't been very hospitable back then.

But now Marie was different. She wasn't as short anymore; she had a growth spurt as she grew. Her braces came off when she was thirteen, and she had more slender muscles in order to play her natural Quidditch position as Chaser. During her puberty growth, she grew slight curves and had nicely shaped and rounded breasts that drew more than enough attention from boys on the street. Her lips grew full and she was no longer considered ugly. Maybe it was the Beauxbatons water that turned all its students into female supermodels, but whatever it was seemed to work its magic on Marie. It was for these reasons why she even bothered to feel confident going back to Hogwarts in the first place.

Now she wondered if she should have gone back at all.

"I didn't write…" Marie chose her words carefully, "because I wanted to forget. Not people, not you, but just…things."

Victoria thought for a moment before nodding understandingly. She knew. Of course she knew. She had been the one to whom Marie cried whenever something happened, whenever someone hurt her either physically or emotionally that year. Of course she'd remember the torture Marie had gone through as a simple first year.

"Things? What things?" Siobhan asked. She was more in the dark with Marie's past.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it," Victoria said, waving her sister away from prying too much. She shot Marie a small smile. Marie was grateful for the distraction and settled herself down.

Beside her, Charlie snored lightly. Everyone in the compartment giggled.

The train whistle sounded sharply, and the train began to move forward and make its long trek to Hogwarts.


	2. Warning

"…really annoying. Where's the loo? I've had to pee for the whole ride," Charlie was complaining as Marie slowly but surely woke up from her nap.

"Just hold it in. We're nearly there. I can see the castle from here," Siobhan answered as she scrambled to look out the window.

Outside, nighttime had already fallen. Indeed, Marie could make out the millions of candles and such that lit the inside of Hogwarts, making the huge castle glow like a beacon against the dark painting of the sky. Marie watched as it grew closer slowly before Victoria cried out, "We haven't even changed into our robes yet!"

The mad scramble to change clothes began. After realizing that Marie was awake, Siobhan threw her the luggage that she had brought on board. Charlie left the compartment to change in the hall while the girls swapped clothes inside. Tripping, banged elbows, and mumbles of "owch!" filled the compartment before the three girls were dressed properly. When Charlie reentered, he too was all spiffed up in his Hogwarts robes.

Marie noticed that Victoria and Siobhan were both in Gryffindor robes while Charlie donned the garb of a Hufflepuff student. Marie smiled at them all and looked down at her generic robes. It was already a given that she'd be Sorted into Gryffindor again, so she was quite surprised when Professor Dippet wrote to her over the summer and asked her to buy the plain, uncolored black robes.

Siobhan seemed to notice too because she asked, "Marie, where's your Gryffindor robes?"

Marie shrugged. "Dippet told me to buy plain robes."

Victoria's mouth fell open in surprise. "B-But you're not going to be re-Sorted, are you? You were already a Gryffindor!"

"I know I was. I guess…I dunno. Dippet's a mystery," Marie admitted.

"I'll say," Charlie commented as he sat back down heavily.

The four of them waited in silence for the train to meet the station.

"Have you got your things?" Victoria asked Marie as they all stood, the train now fully stopped at the Hogwarts station.

Marie double checked the rack above her head. "I think so. I just had this one piece of luggage as far as I can recall."

"Good. Let's get a move on, then," Victoria said.

The two girls left the compartment side by side, with Siobhan and Charlie following close behind. Marie made sure to walk as close to Victoria as possible, seeing as everyone was still a strange face to her. They passed by the compartment where Marie had 'met' Malloy and he was there again, leaning against the wall next to the sliding door. He smirked when he saw the two girls.

"Going so fast, ladies?" he drawled.

"Choke on a muffin," Victoria muttered as they tried to sidestep him.

Malloy threw himself into their path, effectively blocking their way off the train. "What was that you said, Ronan?"

Before either of the girls could come up with a halfway decent retort, another boy in Slytherin robes appeared next to Malloy and grabbed his shoulder, pulling him back towards the compartment. Malloy had a look of surprise written on his face as he allowed himself to be towed. He twisted his head around to see who grabbed him.

"R-Riddle," Malloy gasped. "What're you doing, mate?"

"Keeping you from making an even bigger ass of yourself, if at all possible," the new boy muttered with a hint of an amused smile on his face. He pushed Malloy back into his compartment before turning to the two bemused girls. "Sorry about that, ladies. He doesn't know when to stop being an ape and to start being a human."

To her surprise, Marie heard Victoria giggle slightly. "That's okay, Tom. No worries."

The boy – Tom – glanced over at Marie with a curious expression on his face. He had dark hair, very dark, and pale skin that accented the brown, almost black eyes. He had a sharp jaw and strong cheekbones, overall making his face quite handsome. No wonder Victoria was suddenly so anxious.

"Who's your friend?" Tom asked Victoria.

"Oh. This is Marie Fugazi. Maybe you remember her? She used to be a student here in our first year."

Instantly Tom's eyes widened at the sound of her name. In fact, Tom's face seemed oddly familiar…

"What's your name?" Marie asked, trying to be casual.

Tom flushed for just an instant. "Tom Marvolo Riddle."

**FLASH.**

White hot. Liquid? No. Pain. Burning. Fire. On her skin? Inside her? In her head. Twisting. Contorting. No way out. Far too long. What's this? Voices. Speaking. Whispering. Stop? Please? Testing. Testing. One, two, three.

"…Marie! Marie, are you all right?" Victoria's voice pulled her back to earth.

Marie blinked, and her trance was gone. Victoria, Siobhan, Charlie, and Tom were all looking at her worriedly. Well, Tom really wasn't. He was staring at her as though she were an Acromantula. Fear was written across his face. Why was that so?

_Tom Marvolo Riddle. That's his name._

"Marie, seriously, you're starting to scare me," Siobhan added from behind her.

Marie shook her head to clear it. What the hell was going on? She decided to excuse herself. "Sorry. Must've been…a dizzy spell. I get them all the time."

_Lies._

At that moment, Tom Riddle stepped aside to let them pass on by. Marie caught his eye for an instant and a shiver ran down her spine. Why did he make her feel this way? His name, his face, everything about him sent warning signals ripping through her brain.

"My apologies for holding you up," Tom said smoothly, trying to avoid Marie's eyes.

Even his voice was so recognizable. Perhaps they had known each other in Marie's first year. Though it was true she might not remember; she tried to forget most unpleasant things in her first year at Hogwarts.

Victoria once again caught Marie's attention. "Seriously Marie. I think we should take you to the hospital wing. You look ill."

"I'm fine," Marie told her firmly.

She finally locked gazed with Tom, who stood frozen as if trapped in a sheet of ice.

_I'm going to figure out who you are, Tom Marvolo Riddle,_ Marie promised herself silently._Why you make me feel this way. Who you were in my past, if you did anything against me like the other kids…maybe that's why I don't remember you. Maybe I never wanted to._

Whoever he was, Tom Riddle wasn't getting away from Marie's attention so easily now.


	3. Welcome to Oblivion

It was ridiculous now how suddenly everything was happening to Marie. First her encounter with Tom Riddle, and then, right as she and Victoria were about to enter the Great Hall together, one of the professors pulled her aside..

"You're Marie Fugazi, correct?" the thin, female professor asked Marie sharply.

"Y-Yes ma'am," Marie confirmed.

"Professor Dippet would like to speak with you. Privately."

And that was how Marie found herself standing in Headmaster Dippet's office, her feet close together and her legs nearly knocking at the knees. Was she in trouble already? Was she not re-accepted back? Would she be sent home, after all this way and effort to come back here?

Professor Dippet was in the seat in front of her, but his back was turned when he spoke: "Miss Fugazi. We're so glad you decided to come back to Hogwarts for the remainder of your school career."

_You don't seem happy_, Marie was tempted to say, but didn't. Instead, she nodded once, then realized Dippet wasn't looking at her so it didn't matter anyway.

"Unfortunately," Dippet continued, "there will be a few changes in order to adjust your stay here, particularly with your House status."

Marie was dumbfounded. What was wrong with being in Gryffindor? She'd been Sorted into that House; surely there couldn't have been a mistake?

"Pardon me, Headmaster," Marie interrupted slightly. "I…I don't understand. You're changing…you're making me change Houses? Why?"

Dippet stood but didn't turn around to face her. Instead, he strode over to the cabinet above which the Sorting Hat was sitting, still having not been brought down to the feast just yet.

While Dippet conjured up a stool for him to stand on and reach the Hat, he spoke: "It's nothing personal, my dear. Certain events, however, in your first year have led us to rethink the common sense of allowing you to remain in Gryffindor."

_Certain events in your first year…_

Of course. He just had to bring that up. But did he really have to word it like that? 'Certain events'…more like set-ups, if anything.

"So what you're saying is, I'm being re-Sorted to any House…except Gryffindor?" Marie tried to catch on.

Dippet nodded. "I think you'll understand. Though you'll be sharing classes and such with your former House mates, it'll be much easier for you if you don't have to live with them."

He grabbed the Sorting Hat at last and stepped down from the stool, finally turning to face Marie. His aged face was not unkind, but it was not a welcoming sight to say the least.

"Sit," he commanded her, motioning to the stool he just stood on.

Marie's mouth fell open. "I'm…I'm being re-Sorted? Now? In here?"

"To draw less attention," Dippet explained bluntly.

Marie consented and sat down heavily on the stool, already annoyed with the way things were going. She hadn't even been in the castle for an hour and already everything was going wrong!

Without warning, Dippet plopped the Sorting Hat on her head. The voice then began to talk to her.

_Hmm, I remember you! A great mind you have, very great. You're courageous, too, and very resourceful. You were a Gryffindor, were you not?_

**Get on with the Sorting already.**Marie thought viciously.

_And now you're being re-Sorted. Hmm, where to put you now? Have to take your first year into consideration, mind you…_

**What's that supposed to mean? Into consideration? I didn't do anything wrong! I was in the wrong place at the wrong ti-**

"SLYTHERIN!" the Hat roared.

"WHAT?" Marie burst aloud, startling Dippet into stumbling backwards. "You're putting me in _Slytherin?_" It didn't daunt her that she was yelling at a hat. "You can't be serious! All because of that misunderstanding in my first year-"

"As I can recall, Miss Fugazi, there was no misunderstanding. You were caught. It was proven. You're lucky you weren't sent to Azkaban for what you did," Dippet interrupted her rant.

"Azkaban?" Marie shrieked. She threw the Hat off her head indignantly and shot to her feet. "Professor Dumbledore believed me! He asked you to listen to reason! And you didn't! You allowed yourself to be fooled!"

"Your wand was found and proven to be the culprit!" Dippet said, his voice gaining in volume. "Your memories looked through and discovered!"

"_I didn't do it!_" Marie yelled, making her sound five years old again. "You were all tricked and lied to!"

"By whom?" Dippet asked angrily. Not waiting for an answer, he threw open his office door with a quick wave of his wand. "Now, you can either return to the feast now to watch the actual Sorting take place, or remain here in my office and figure out how and when you want to send yourself back home. I will not tolerate this kind of behavior, especially from you, Miss Fugazi."

Marie closed her mouth before she felt the urge to hex Dippet. It wasn't fair. All because of some mishap in her first year, and now she was being punished for it by being placed in Slytherin-

"Professor Dumbledore won't stand for this," Marie threatened Dippet, "When he finds out-"

"He already knows. He is behind us every step of the way. In fact, he was the one who suggested re-Sorting you this year," Dippet informed her with a slight smile on his face as he watched Marie's incredulous reaction.

Dumbledore? Siding with Dippet? What happened to his overbearing confidence in her those few years ago?

"He knows I'm innocent," Marie restated, trying to keep her cool.

"Perhaps," Dippet agreed halfheartedly. "But until the rest of the staff and student body agree with him, you'll be spending your remaining years at Hogwarts in Slytherin."

"Slytherin? You must be joking," Siobhan cried out as Marie informed her friends of the news.

Marie had tried to slip past the Gryffindor table unnoticed, but Victoria and Siobhan caught her and pulled her over. Once she explained the situation, they were both floored.

"Dippet must be off his rocker," Victoria added feelingly. "He's gone senile."

"They can't really put you there, can they?" Siobhan asked.

Marie shrugged disdainfully. "They already have. Dippet put the Sorting Hat on me and everything. It's done." She sighed and looked down at the plain Hogwarts robes she wore. "Guess that's why they didn't give me new Gryffindor robes. They already knew."

Victoria and Siobhan had looks of utter disgust on their faces.

"So you'll be a Slytherin now," Siobhan muttered.

"That doesn't mean a thing. You'll both still be my friends," Marie assured them. "I just won't be sleeping in the same Tower as you both."

"You'll be in the dungeons," Victoria said with a nod.

Marie shuddered. She then glanced at the long Slytherin table where she saw nobody familiar, save for Perry Malloy (she winced) and Tom Riddle, both of whom had their heads close together as they whispered to each other.

"Better get this over with," Marie grumbled. She straightened her shoulders, took a deep breath, and marched over to the Slytherins, trying not to make eye contact with anybody she passed by. It seemed to work; nobody was really paying any attention to her. Thank goodness she was unrecognizable now.

Marie found an empty seat only a few people down from Tom and Malloy. She sat down, ignoring the curious and somewhat resentful stares she was receiving from quite a few other Slytherin students. The girl next to her shifted her body weight away from Marie slightly, but enough to make it obvious.

Across from her was another girl, some years younger than Marie. She, unlike the others, spoke to Marie.

"Are you new here?" she asked, her voice high in pitch.

Marie swallowed hard. "You could say that."

The girl stared at her but said nothing more. Marie looked away, embarrassed, but instead accidentally caught the eye of none other than Tom Riddle. He was looking at her, an amused expression on his face. Eventually he stood up and swaggered over to where she sat.

"You're at the wrong table, Fugazi," Tom told her as if she were five.

"Check again, Riddle. I've been re-Sorted," Marie muttered. She then looked up at him curiously. "And how do you know I wasn't a Slytherin?"

Tom shrugged one shoulder and said breezily, "I would've noticed you years ago had you been in my House. Trust me."

"So you're saying you don't care for the other House members?" Marie clarified.

"I have only interests in my fellow Slytherins."

"Well. How lucky I must be, then."

Tom smirked. "You're not a real Slytherin. Not yet."

"Don't tell me there's some sort of stupid initiation ceremony I have to go through," Marie groaned.

Tom shook his head. "No, nothing like that. I just need to figure out if we can trust you or not."

"Like you have some big, dark secret to keep," Marie said sarcastically.

"You'd be surprised," Tom told her seriously.

Marie narrowed her eyes, but before she could make out what he just said, he was back to sitting next to Malloy. He didn't look at her for the rest of the Opening Ceremony.


	4. Close Range

"Know your way to the dormitories? Or do you need an escort?"

Marie turned in her seat at the sound of Tom's voice. The Sorting had come and gone. The feast was over; Dippet had given a nice welcome speech and then sent the students off to bed. The Hall was already nearly empty when Tom approached her.

Tom was standing behind Marie with an expectant expression on his face.

She sighed. "I'll need an escort. Just this once."

Tom nodded and watched as Marie extracted herself from the bench. She hadn't said a word to anybody throughout the whole feast. She felt unwanted and that she didn't fit in. As she followed Tom from the Great Hall, she looked to the long table where the professors were still sitting. Only Dumbledore was looking at her with an almost sympathetic look. Marie tore her gaze away and concentrated on not getting lost.

She had to take several smaller steps to keep up with Tom's long, graceful strides, but in the end she was able to follow him down a few winding staircases, no doubt leading to the bowels of Hogwarts. Other students ran every which way as first years attempted to find their way around and upper classmen tried to help them. Marie couldn't help but giggle; though she had been away for a while, she still remembered where some rooms were located. The twists, turns, dips, and passageways of the Hogwarts castle were as clear to her as the back of her hand, and if anything she felt more at home than she ever had at Beauxbatons.

It seemed to take ages before the pair of students approached the door to the Slytherin common room. After Tom gave the password – which happened to be "Parselmouth" – Marie found herself standing in the middle of the grand and extravagant room, bathed in a greenish light and decorated with eerie shadows from the various pillars, statues, and other artifacts in the room.

"Impressed?" Tom asked Marie as he watched her reaction.

Marie tried to shrug it off. "The Gryffindor common room was cozier" was all she could offer.

Tom snorted in disbelief but said nothing to counter her. Instead, he beckoned her forward to the fireplace, already with a fire burning bright.

"Can I ask you something?" Tom asked, his voice dropping so low in volume that Marie had to strain to hear.

She looked around the common room and watched dawdling students suddenly pass by without a sound as they zipped up to their rooms. Apparently, when Tom Riddle wanted to talk privately to somebody, it sure as hell better be private. Marie tried to ignore the sudden emptiness of the common room and instead concentrated on Tom, who was standing in front of the burning fireplace. The light cast eerie shadows across his face, making his eyes black and his cheekbones and jaw more pronounced. He looked, if anything, very creepy.

"Why are you in Slytherin this year?" Tom asked her under his breath. "I know you. I remember you. You were in Gryffindor in our first year."

Marie's eyes narrowed and she felt her insides turn hard. "That's none of your business."

"Actually, considering the fact that you're my new classmate, it pretty much is. Besides, how do I know you're not…I dunno…fraternizing with the Gryffindors? Divulging our secrets to them?"

Marie threw back her head and laughed aloud. "You seriously think this is some scheme I concocted just so Gryffindor can win the House Cup this year?"

"I didn't say anything about the House Cup," Tom reminded her. "That was from your own inane imagination."

"Don't call me inane."

"I called your imagination inane."

"It's the same thing."

Tom groaned in frustration and rubbed his face in his hands. "You're being ridiculous. And stop dragging me off topic. What are you suddenly doing in Slytherin?"

"I was re-Sorted, you nutter. It's nothing major."

Tom raised an eyebrow. "I've never heard of someone being re-Sorted before."

"And I've never heard of someone making a complete asshat of themselves within four minutes before, but it appears to be happening as we speak," Marie retorted with a sneer. She really wasn't in the mood for an interrogation process.

"An asshat? You say the most peculiar things," Tom observed amusedly.

"Thanks for the praise. Can I go unpack now? All my stuff is upstairs-"

"Fine. Go."

Tom's sudden change of tone surprised Marie, but nonetheless she took the opportunity to turn and leave at once. When she reached the bottom stair to go to her room, however, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"What?" she snapped, turning around violently.

"Don't think you've escaped my radar just yet," Tom warned her.

Marie snorted involuntarily. "Your radar? What are you – a submarine?"

Tom's lip corners twitched slightly but the coldness and ice in his eyes didn't disappear or even falter. "You're not taking my warning very seriously, are you Fugazi?"

"No, I'm not. Because you're being ridiculous. I'm not here to spy on you, or steal your secrets, or even make friends with people like you. I'm here to finish my last two years of school. Now, _if you don't mind_, I'd like to go upstairs, shower, wash my hair, take a shit, and go to bed. Is that all right with you, Your Majesty?"

That got Tom to release her shoulder and take a step back. Guess he hadn't expected Marie to suddenly become so vicious.

"You're not as nice as you look," Tom observed openly.

For some reason, his words made Marie's eyes sting with the beginnings of tears. "So I've been told," she managed to spit out. She quickly turned her head so he wouldn't see how vulnerable she had suddenly become.

Tom stared at her, ever more curious. "By whom?"

"None of your business." The second time she had said that statement in one night.

Tom took another moment or two to watch her as she tried to control her breathing and push down her unwanted tears. He cocked his head to the side slightly before saying to her, "Look, I'm sorry. That was uncalled for."

"Really? What was your first clue – my attitude or my tears?" Marie quipped.

"You can't say you weren't expecting it. You were getting quite snappy too."

"Can we not argue about this? I'm going to bed. See you around…hopefully not for a while."

With that said and her mind clouded over with exhaustion and frustration, Marie whirled and stomped up the stairs to head for her room. Left behind in the common room, Tom stood and watched the space where she had once been standing. He blinked a few times before his lips curled into a smile. To him, Marie didn't seem to be suspicious. He just liked playing around with people.

On his right was a giant statue of Salazar Slytherin, decked out in robes and jewels in all the glory he deserved…to a Slytherin's point of view, anyway. Tom, after a moment's hesitation, smiled at the statue.

He then walked his own path up to the boys' room to sleep.


	5. Vanity

Not surprisingly, the next morning at breakfast nobody sat next to Marie at the Slytherin table. She was sitting alone, with one space on either side of her with empty seats. Every once in a while, one of her fellow Slytherins would look up from their plates and gawk at Marie, but she tried to ignore their stares. It was tough to do; every swallow of egg that she took reminded her that she was eating amongst unfriendly people. She glanced quickly up at her old Gryffindor table and saw Victoria and Siobhan talking with a few other girls and giggling to each other.

Marie wished dearly that she could be over there with them. In fact, she had already half-risen from her seat when an all-too familiar and unwanted voice plagued her ears.

"Not thinking about going over there, are you?" Tom Riddle asked her from behind.

Marie rolled her eyes and twisted in her seat. "Not that you care, but actually I was."

Tom smirked down at her and took the empty spot to her right. Marie's mouth opened slightly.

"Are you _trying_ to be difficult?" she asked.

"Now why do you say that?"

"Because you know very well that I really don't want your company right now."

"Those are cold words coming from somebody who has no friends."

Marie's face burned. Whenever Tom spoke, it seemed as though he had that effect on her. "No friends? I have friends! They're just not in this despicable group of people you call a House."

Tom didn't even wince at her words. If anything, his smirk only grew snarkier.

"Hate to break it to you, but now you're a part of this 'despicable group of people'," Tom pointed out, "whether you like it or not."

"I may be in this House but I'll never be like one of you," Marie hissed through her teeth. She stabbed the last piece of egg with her fork and shoved it violently into her mouth before getting to her feet.

Tom rose with her. "And just where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to class early. Don't follow me," Marie demanded before turning on her heel and flouncing out of the Great Hall.

Not to her surprise, she heard footsteps echoing behind her.

Marie turned. "_What_, Tom?"

"What class do you have first?" he asked her, folding his arms across his chest.

"What class do I – what do you care?" she snapped.

"Because if I have the same class, I want to make sure I avoid sitting near you at all costs. You might bite my nose off or something if I get too close."

Marie threw her head back and laughed. "That's rich coming from you. If I sat near you, I'd probably get some unknown disease. Asshole-itis, maybe."

Tom didn't falter. "So what class is it?"

Marie groaned and dug around in her shoulder bag for her schedule. She had found it atop her luggage the night before. Pulling it out, Marie scanned it quickly before she announced, "Defense Against the Dark Arts. With Professor Merrythought."

"Excellent!"

"You don't have that class?"

"No, I do. But this means my very presence will torture you even further."

"Class, please take out your text titled _The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection_ and open to page four," Professor Galatea Merrythought announced to the class that same morning. She was a pleasant-looking woman – a little plump and on the short side, but she had a cheerful, kind air about her that Marie found almost motherly.

Marie opened her textbook. Merrythought had seated her between two unfamiliar Slytherin girls, one with sleek blonde hair and the other with ebony black. Both girls shifted slightly away from Marie in their seats when she sat, but she blinked and pretended not to notice.

"Now then, in this class you will all have the opportunity to learn not just from me, but from each other and yourselves. Sixth year Defense Against the Dark Arts is a tricky time for most of you, and of course if you want to go on to N.E.W.T. level in your seventh year, you will want to pay close attention to what we do now," Merrythought began. She walked around so she stood at the front of her desk and looked out at her students, a mix of Slytherins and Ravenclaws, which was an unusual pairing. She spoke some more: "Everyone in here is expected to do the amount of work required of them. No complaining, no grumbling, no exceptions."

"What a load of rubbish," someone behind Marie whispered. Merrythought didn't seem to hear.

Marie glanced to her left and saw, just a few seats down, how carefully Tom was paying attention to Merrythought. The corners of Marie's mouth twisted upwards slightly. He looked very much into the subject already.

"Please read from pages four to seven while I take attendance," Merrythought told them.

The students complied. The only sounds heard for several minutes were the rustling of paper and the occasional cough or sniffle from a fellow student. Marie read through the pages fairly quickly; it was only an introductory essay into the subject. She was itching to get to the chapters about self defensive spells and charms.

On her left again, Marie could see that Tom had also finished the introductory essay. He caught her staring at him and winked. Marie turned her face away, her cheeks red.

A handwritten note on a slip of parchment landed on her desk only moments later.

**Society might say that it's rude to stare, but I call it flattering.**

Marie scowled; she could hear Tom stifling his laughter. She picked up her quill and wrote back:

_Don't flatter yourself. Your face looks like the ass end of a hippogriff. Anyway, I just noticed you finished reading pretty fast._

She put her hand into her robes pocket and flicked her wand. The parchment slid itself across the long table, dodging other students' books and supplies, and stopped in front of Tom.

**I read this book over the summer for fun.**

_Your idea of fun is suicide to others._

**To you?**

_I never said that._

**You implied it.**

_You're a jerk._

**A jerk with an apparently stare-worthy face.**

Marie crumpled the parchment and threw it on the floor at her feet. Tom's grin was almost wide enough to cover his face.

"Everyone's finished reading?" Merrythought asked then. When everybody mumbled their response, she nodded briskly. "Good. Let's begin the lesson."

"You're unbelievable," Marie muttered to Tom as she passed by him on her way out of the classroom at the end of the lesson.

Tom shouldered his bag and shrugged. "I dare do all that may become a man; who dares do more is none."

Marie quirked an eyebrow, surprised. "You know Macbeth?"

"I know it, but I don't believe in the statement," Tom told her.

The pair of them, unknowingly, began to walk down the hall together to their next class. Other students skirted around them while a fair few stopped to stare at the infamous, introverted Tom Riddle walking with the sort-of-new student Marie Fugazi.

"What makes you say that?" Marie asked, curious now.

"The quote supposedly means to try to be something, anything, that is more within your own reach, and to not be too quick to become something greater," Tom explained. He pushed some of his wayward hair away from his eyes. "I disagree. I think the human mind and body has no limits, so why not push ourselves into becoming something greater than what we already are? What is there to stop us? It's only mentality blocking us from what we can become. Push that aside, and we are unlimited."

Marie stared as they walked and nearly tripped over a loose stone in the floor. Tom, surprisingly, didn't laugh as she stumbled.

"That's very, uh…" Marie sought for a word, "deep."

Tom chuckled low in his throat. "I'll take that as the first compliment you've given me since we've met."

"Sorry about that," Marie apologized under her breath.

Tom heard her and chuckled. "I do suppose I strike most people as a bit of a prick."

"Suppose? A bit?" Marie asked.

Tom feigned anger when he glared down at her. "Don't push it. I was halfway towards apologizing to you as well."

Marie shut her mouth. Tom glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and snickered. "Oh well. Maybe I'll apologize next time, since you've interrupted me already."

"What? You can't get away that easily!" Marie complained, trying to kick him in the shins. She missed; he jumped smoothly out of the way.

He laughed as she scowled at him. "Come on, Fugazi, Potions awaits!" Tom reminded her. He grabbed her by the wrist and led her down the hall to their next class.


	6. Going Under

Around lunchtime, Marie was finally beginning to settle into the life of being a Slytherin. It wasn't all bad, she learned. The kids in the House were nice enough once they got used to her presence. That also might've had to do with the fact that she was hanging around Tom a lot and his own presence was quite intimidating and demanded respect. But that was beside the point. Marie was able to enjoy herself for the first time since she arrived at Hogwarts this year.

Tom introduced her to a few fellow sixth-year students. There was Dennis Turner, a medium-sized brown-haired boy who didn't speak much but when he did, he had a strong voice and even stronger convictions. There was also Nicolette Wray, a skinny pale black-haired girl who reminded Marie strongly of a vampire. It was only until Tom informed her that Nicolette was part-vampire that Marie understood. Finally, there was Jack Fontaine, a tall boy with white-blonde hair and almost black eyes. He talked a lot, almost as much as Tom.

The five of them were sitting together at the lunch table when someone tapped Marie on the shoulder. She turned and was surprised to see Victoria standing behind her.

"Hey Vic," Marie greeted her friend. "How's everything?"

Victoria shrugged one shoulder as she looked warily at the people sitting around the Slytherin table. "Nothing much. Just wanted to see how you're doing. You, uh…made new friends," she observed, watching as Nicolette tore into a rare piece of meat ravenously.

Marie nodded. "Yeah. It's not so bad, being in…being here."

"I see." Victoria sounded dubious. She cleared her throat. "Well, when you have time on your hands, we should hang out soon."

"Yeah. Definitely," Marie added, sounding relieved. "I'll talk to you later, okay?"

Victoria walked away without answering. Marie turned back to the table, a slight frown on her face.

Next to her was Tom. He nudged her with an elbow and said, "Something the matter?"

"Victoria doesn't like the fact that I fit in here," Marie admitted to him. She took a bite of her food and washed it down with pumpkin juice. "She's just worried about me is all."

"She thinks we're going to corrupt you?" Tom asked, amused.

"Probably."

"That's funny."

Marie quirked an eyebrow and looked at him. "Why's that funny?"

"Because obviously if you've been Sorted into Slytherin, there's already something corrupt about you."

Marie's face turned red and she tightened her grip on her fork. "Don't just assume that. You don't know a thing about me, Tom."

"I know that you obviously did something bad that resulted in you being placed here," Tom reminded her. "That alone is enough for me to make an assumption."

He was so infuriating! One minute they were arguing, then they were getting along fine, and now they were arguing again. It was as if Tom couldn't make up his mind on how to treat Marie. To be honest, she was getting sick of it.

Marie shoveled down the last of her food without a word and began to stand up from the bench. Tom stopped her with a hand on her elbow.

"I didn't mean it like that," he told her, almost apologetically. "I just meant…well, why else would you be placed here with us? Otherwise you would've just been put back into Gryffindor."

"Forget about it. I don't care," Marie said nonchalantly. She removed her arm from Tom's grasp and grabbed her school bag in one swift motion before storming out of the Great Hall.

Predictably a few seconds later, she heard footsteps behind her.

"Marie! Marie, wait a second!" Tom's voice carried through the empty hallway.

Marie stopped walking and whirled around, her bag on her shoulder and her other hand on her hip. "What?" she asked.

Tom looked down at her, taking a mental deep breath as he did so. He rarely ever felt bad about anything he did, but for some reason injuring Marie's feelings was the last straw for him. "I'm sorry. I really…I need to learn to shut my mouth. I didn't mean anything I said. Honestly."

He shifted his gaze towards his feet. Apologizing definitely wasn't something he did on a daily basis. He was feeling a little uncomfortable until Marie sighed.

"Just…don't do it again, okay? It's a touchy subject for me," she explained.

Tom nodded and looked at her again. "I understand. I'd be the same way."

"Thanks."

They stood in awkward silence for a moment before Marie spoke again.

"So, how'd you meet Dennis and the others? Seems like a…diverse group of friends for you," Marie observed curiously.

Tom shrugged one shoulder. "Believe it or not, Slytherin has its outcasts within a group of outcasts. Dennis isn't very well-liked because he doesn't speak much. It's obvious for Nicolette why she's shunned. I mean, would you feel safe being friendly with a half-vampire? And Jack is a little too aggressive for most peoples' tastes. But for me, I don't mind any of them. They're my friends. My only ones."

Marie noticed how sad Tom looked when he spoke of friends. She assumed he mustn't have had very many of them while he was living his life before Hogwarts.

"Not a lot of friends where you came from?" she decided on asking him.

"I came from an orphanage. Nobody liked me. I was the weird kid. Too different," Tom explained.

Marie nodded understandingly. "So when you came here…" she started.

"It felt like I finally found a place to be myself," Tom finished for her. He sighed. "I guess I owe my introverted attitude to the fact that I was a wizard and I didn't know it." His eyebrows then furrowed. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell this to anybody, by the way. I don't usually open up quite like this."

"Your secret's safe with me," Marie promised him. She touched the skin on the back of his hand reassuringly.

FLASH.

_Help me. Help me. What happened? Where am I? Is that…oh God. It's blood. What did I do? No, I didn't do anything. It wasn't me. Somebody! Anybody! Where are you? Help me! I need help! Please! I didn't do it! I didn't do it!___

_I DIDN'T DO IT!_

"Marie, are you feeling all right?" Tom's voice brought Marie back down to earth.

Marie blinked, gasped, and stumbled back a few steps, clutching her chest. Tom followed and grabbed her shoulders to steady her. She backed up against the far wall and nearly slid down to her knees until Tom kept her upright with his strong grip.

"What happened?" she asked him weakly, holding one hand up to her forehead.

"You tell me," Tom gasped. His heart pounded. She had nearly fainted!

Marie gulped down some oxygen and tried to regain control of her heartbeat. She looked up at Tom with wide eyes. "I…I need to go to the hospital wing."

"I'll take you there," Tom offered, extending his hand.

Marie shrunk back like she had been stung. "No! No, i-it's fine. I can take myself there."

"But Marie-"

Before he could finish his statement, she had taken off down the hallway. What Tom didn't know, however, was that Marie wasn't heading for the hospital wing. Twice these strange flashes of voices had invaded her mind, and twice they were brought along when she was with Tom Riddle. There was no way the hospital wing had any remedy for something as odd as this.

No. Marie was going to the one person she knew she could trust with something this strange.

After a good five-minutes jog through the meandering Hogwarts hallways, she finally stopped outside Professor Dumbledore's office and knocked frantically on the wooden door.


	7. Darkness Surrounding

It took about thirty seconds before the door opened, but it wasn't Dumbledore who answered. Instead, it was Armando Dippet. He had a monocle stuck into his left eye and he was wearing what appeared to be pajamas underneath a dark green fluffy robe.

For a moment, Marie thought she was hallucinating. Maybe she was charmed. She blinked a few times but Dippet was still there with a silly white nightcap atop his head.

He yawned uncaringly. "What do you want, Miss Fugazi?"

Marie closed her open mouth. "I wanted to speak to Professor Dumbledore."

Dippet rubbed his un-monocled eye with the back of his hand. "Well, you're just going to have to wait. Dumbledore isn't here at the moment and he wanted me to watch his office for some strange reason. Not that I care to complain. His bed is quite comfortable."

Marie resisted the urge to snort with laughter. "When will he be back?"

"Any questions or concerns you have can be taken up with me," Dippet reminded her, his tiredness slowly fading from his voice. "What is it that you need?"

Marie bit her bottom lip. She had wanted to see Dumbledore, not Dippet. Dumbledore was the only man she really felt she could trust, despite the fact that he had apparently been the mastermind behind her switching Houses. He was still the same man who listened to her when she talked and believed in the words she said. That was good enough for Marie to trust him even now.

"Sorry Professor. It's a private and personal matter. I can only talk about it with Professor Dumbledore," Marie implored. "When will he return?"

Dippet rolled his eyes, possibly without meaning to seem rude. It was just a natural human reaction when his students were being so difficult. "I believe he said he would return in two weeks."

Her heart sank. Two whole weeks? What if she had more visions? And this time, what if they didn't stop?

Without a word of thanks or goodbye, Marie turned from Dippet and hurriedly took off down the hallway. She tried to find a rational explanation for her visions, possibly even a Muggle malady. Was she epileptic? Did her family have a history of psychosis? She didn't know, but she was fairly certain that everyone was healthy as possible. That left only illnesses known to the wizarding world. She surely didn't have Vanishing Sickness; her body parts were still intact. So what could it be?

Marie was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she didn't see Tom rounding the corner to meet her.

They crashed into each other.

"Tom!" Marie sputtered as she tried to pick herself up from the floor. "What the bloody hell are you doing?"

Tom, who had managed to remain on both of his feet, chuckled while crossing his arms across his chest. "Spying on you, of course."

No explanation, no excuse, just the raw truth.

Marie glared at him. "What for?"

"What do you mean 'what for?' You just took off like a shot! You can't expect me to just stand in place while you run off like that. I got curious and went after you," Tom admitted with a casual shrug of the shoulder.

"Well, don't do it again," Marie demanded lamely.

Tom laughed. "Can't make any promises, love."

Marie smiled a bit but then started to stare at him. Whenever she had those odd moments where she hallucinated or blacked out, she had been with Tom Riddle. That couldn't just be a coincidence. There had to be a reason behind it all.

With that in mind, Marie couldn't help but wonder if she knew Tom in her past life at Hogwarts. Was he an old friend? An enemy? Or was it just a total fluke, and that there was something just totally wrong and different about Tom Marvolo Riddle?

Tom seemed to notice her staring. "What is it?"

Marie swallowed forcefully. "You're...you make me feel strange."

"Warm and fuzzy inside? Helplessly in love? It's my devilishly good hippogriff-ass looks, isn't it?"

Marie ignored his attempt at humor. "Who are you? And I don't mean your name. Who are you really? Did I know you when I was a first year? Before now?"

Tom's jovial attitude melted away within seconds. A Cheshire cat's grin spread over his pale face. He didn't look friendly anymore. Instead, he looked menacingly amused with her.

"I'm so glad you finally decided to ask," he said.

Marie was suddenly frightened. She thought Tom had just been warming up to her, and she to him. What was going on?

"What do you mean by that?" Marie asked carefully. She involuntarily took a step back.

Tom stepped forward, towering over her. "You haven't figured it out by now? Why we're pulled together, as if by destiny? This isn't the first time you and I have met before."

"So we _do_ have a history!"

"Oh. We have a history all right." Tom's grin seemed purely demonic now. "I'm the one who got you expelled in the first place."


	8. Helter Skelter

Marie stared at Tom, his unforgiving smile mocking her at every angle. In her mind, she could feel the floodgates holding her memories back inch open just a tiny bit. A trickle – barely enough to satisfy the mouth of a thirsty child – escaped, the memories coming back to her in weak flashes:

_"He's cute isn't he?" Victoria asked Marie, nudging her as they sat together at the Gryffindor table for breakfast.___

_"Who?" Marie asked. She looked down the line of other first-years, expecting to see a handsome boy, but instead just spotted Boris Mallard shoving pancake after pancake into his fat mouth.___

_"Tom Riddle," Victoria giggled quietly. Her eyes were roaming over the farthest table from them.___

_Marie looked at her, aghast. "Vicky! How could you say that? He's in Slytherin."___

_Two weeks later...___

_"Tom Riddle talked to me yesterday," Victoria gushed as she and Marie were getting ready for bed. "He told me what I said in Potions class was clever."___

_"And now you two are in love, going to get married, and have seven children together, am I right?" Marie teased.___

_Victoria threw a pillow at her head.___

_One month later...___

_"I need your help with an experiment," Tom Riddle said immediately after he approached Marie after Potions class.___

_Marie packed up her bags quickly. Tom made her uncomfortable. "Sorry, can't. I'm busy."___

_"You haven't even heard my proposition," Tom said as he grinned.___

_"Proposition? Is this a school assignment or a business proposal?"___

_"A little of both."___

_"And why are you asking me instead of your Slytherin buddies?"___

_"Because you're the only one who can help me get away with it."_

Marie snapped out of her reverie and looked at Tom with new eyes. No wonder he had tried becoming friendly with her, getting closer to her, trying to be nice to her.

He was taunting her with her own memories.

"Get away from me," Marie hissed through her teeth.

"Oh, so you do remember it all, do you?" Tom asked as he leaned casually against the stone wall.

"Not all of it. But enough." Marie dropped her book bag on the ground with a loud thud of finality. "You wanted me to help you with an experiment."

"Yes..."

"But it wasn't for a class. It was for fun. Something illegal."

"Correct. Do you remember what it was, exactly?"

"No. And I'm sure I don't want to. I forgot it for a reason obviously." Marie swallowed hard. "But whatever it was, you and I got in trouble for it."

"Again, correct."

"It didn't work out the way it was supposed to. We ruined something important. But you put the blame for it all on me."

"Yes."

"And I got expelled. And you didn't."

Tom stood there in silence for what seemed like hours before he slowly began to clap. It was a sarcastic motion meant to make fun of Marie, but instead it only fueled her anger. **She knew now.** Tom Marvolo Riddle had gotten her expelled from Hogwarts, had ruined what should've been the best seven years of her magical life.

Once Tom was done applauding her, Marie snarled, "You didn't tell me your little science project was illegal."

"You never asked. Still don't remember what it was?"

"No."

"You will. Eventually."

"How?"

Tom smirked at her. "I'll make you remember. Just like I did a moment ago. You think you can run away from your memories, Marie Fugazi, but in fact they just follow behind you like a shadow, waiting to pounce on you at your weakest moment."

"Fuck you," Marie spat angrily.

The Muggle curse didn't make Tom so much as blink. "You should be thanking me, really."

"_Thanking you?_ For what? For ruining my life?"

"For trying to make you stronger than you are. I'm only rehashing your worst memories so you can eventually learn to properly shield yourself from them in the future. 'A clear conscience is a sign of bad memory.' You've had a clear conscience up until now, Marie. Now get rid of it and accept what you did. Be stronger."

"I don't even _know_ what I did!" Marie shouted at him. **God, he was so infuriating.** "You won't tell me!"

"So figure it out," Tom taunted. "'We cannot change our memories, but we can change their meaning and the power they have over us.' Stop letting them take control over you. Learn to take control for yourself."

"Stop quoting your bullshit at me! You're crazy!" Marie covered her ears childishly, as if that would be enough to block his hideous words. She wondered if maybe she should start singing to herself.

She could still hear Tom's words: "You can keep running if you want to, but your memories and fears will catch up to you no matter where you go and no matter what you do. You'll always, in that sense, be my little experiment."

Marie closed her eyes and screamed. She screamed loud and long and hard enough until she felt as though she were about to pass out. When she was done screaming after several long seconds, she opened her eyes.

Tom Riddle was gone. But it didn't matter. He had already left his wake of destruction behind him, five long years ago.


	9. Here's To The Past

**AN: **I take a little liberty with the timeline of events in the following chapter. You'll see what I mean by the update's conclusion. Please bear with me, Potterheads.

* * *

><p>It seemed as though the universe was hard at work making sure Marie was as uncomfortable as possible within the ensuing weeks. Everywhere she went, Tom Riddle was there around a corner or at a table.<p>

There were a few times where she was able to quickly avoid him in the hall or at the Slytherin dining table. At first she tried to make her avoidance techniques look normal; if she saw him walking towards her in the hallway, she'd quickly turn on her heel and run the other way, pretending she forgot her schoolbooks. Eventually, though, she stopped caring if other people knew she was avoiding Tom. She just ran.

Tom, of course, was taking all of this with a smile on his face. He knew what Marie was doing and, she feared, he knew it was all a waste of her time. Maybe he was right. Maybe their meeting this year was fate deciding to intervene once again. Maybe they were meant to see each other, to be acquaintances, maybe even friends.

But how could Marie befriend someone who got her expelled?

The more time she spent away from Tom, the more she thought about her past. She tried reconnecting the events in her mind, sorting them out one by one.

First there was her re-Sorting ceremony where Dippet had accused her of the accident that happened her first year. Again, Marie's mind had become so strong a thing that she barely even remembered what the accident was in the first place. Did she break something? Insult someone? Get into a fight? She was unsure and that made her worry. It must've been something _really_bad for her to completely forget all about it.

And then there was the fear that the accident was connected to Tom.

In fact, it was more of a certainty now.

Tom had said he was the one who got her expelled. Dippet had said it was because of the accident in her first year that she was expelled. Ergo, Tom caused the accident that got her expelled. A + B = C.

Marie lay awake in her bed in the Slytherin dormitory, thinking everything over. It was nearly two in the morning but she had trouble sleeping. She still had Tom on her mind. Ever since he had told her that horrible information three weeks ago-

With a gasp, Marie bolted up in bed.

Professor Dumbledore was back.

Luck seemed to be on Marie's side for once, because she didn't run into any teachers while she ran through the castle to get to Dumbledore's office. She was still in her white nightgown but she had slipped on a pair of black boots and was thumping through the hallways like a maniac. Her hair was a mess and she was out of breath by the time she reached the double wooden doors, but she didn't care. She wanted answers.

Before Marie could even lift a finger, the door opened.

Professor Dumbledore was there in all his yellow pajama'd glory. He had a matching yellow nightcap on his head and his half moon glasses were sitting at the tip of his nose as he looked down at Marie. His orange hair clashed violently with the yellow clothes; he looked like the sun.

"Miss Fugazi. I had been expecting you, though not quite at this late hour," Dumbledore commented. His voice, though tired, was still kind and amused.

"I'm sorry Professor. I had to see you as soon as possible," Marie explained.

Dumbledore stepped aside and motioned for Marie to enter. She had barely taken two steps into his office when he said, "You're here to ask about Tom Riddle and the connection he has with your expulsion."

Marie, aghast, turned to look at him. "Y-Yes. How did you-?"

"Tom beat you here. He came yesterday."

Her face flushed red. "Tom was here?"

"Oh yes. He wanted to see me about a bad Herbology test grade and then mentioned that he and you were having a little spat. I didn't know you two were friends."

"We're not."

"Oh?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "I was under the impression he was your official tour guide."

"Not anymore." Marie sighed and crossed her arms. "He told me that he was the one who got me expelled."

"Ah." Dumbledore nodded knowingly and crossed the room. It was large and full of random knick-knacks on the shelves as well as the large wooden desk that occupied one corner of the room. In the center was a gold carpet surrounded by four cozy looking red chairs. A large window on one wall allowed the room to be bathed in moonlight, thus cancelling out the need for candles.

Dumbledore sat in one of the chairs and motioned for Marie to do the same. He talked while she walked the length of the room: "Yes, I'm not really surprised he told you. Tom was always one for a show."

Marie sat down. "He just wanted to brag about it? He didn't really do anything?"

"Oh no, he did," Dumbledore explained. "But when I heard you were returning to Hogwarts, I made Tom promise not to torment you with the information. Perhaps I should have known better. Tom never was one to respect authority."

"I respect you, sir."

"Thank you, Miss Fugazi."

"But there's something I'd very much like to know." At this, Dumbledore leaned back in his seat and cocked an eyebrow. Marie took a deep breath, bracing herself for his rejection. "I want to know what I did in my first year. What Tom claims he was responsible for."

"You want to know exactly why you were expelled," Dumbledore clarified.

"Yes, sir. I was trying to remember but I can't-"

"You wouldn't have been able to." Dumbledore sighed sadly and rubbed his temples with his fingertips. "We put a Memory Charm on you."

"What?" This was news to Marie, but it explained a lot. "You did?"

"It was Professor Dippet's idea. He didn't see why you should be forced to live with your guilt while you were shipped off to Beauxbatons. He wiped parts of your memory and sent you off."

Marie's mouth was dry. "Can you undo the charm?"

Dumbledore started at that, his glasses practically falling off. "What? Why would you want that?"

"Because I'm sick of not knowing anything. I'm sick of having to find out from other people, particularly someone like Tom Riddle. Please sir," her voice dropped low, "I'm begging you."

He sighed and sat in thought for a moment. Marie watched him and waited. For a moment she thought he was going to say no, but then he rolled up his pajama sleeves and produced his wand.

"Your memories and your past shall be your own once again," Dumbledore murmured as he stood up. He didn't sound too happy with the decision he made, but Marie believed it was for her own good anyway.

He raised his wand: "_Gorgio!_"

A white blast of air hit Marie in the face, but instead of being knocked down by it, it felt soothing and cool. And then, suddenly, the rush of memories hit her so hard that she cried out in pain and clutched her head.

Dumbledore was at her side in an instant. "Marie!" He used her first name. "Marie, are you all right?" He wrapped one arm around her shoulders as she rocked back and forth.

Tears streaked down Marie's cheeks as one by one, she went through each of her lost memories.

"It...it was..." Marie gulped. "It was Charlotte Grace. She was in my year...Ravenclaw..."

"Yes." Dumbledore's face was contorted in pain, as if he could feel what Marie was going through.

"I...Tom and I...we killed her..."

"Yes..."

"...trying to make a Horcrux."


	10. Connection Game

**AN: **Thank you guys for being so patient! Like I said in the previous chapter, the timeline has been altered a bit, though if you were to ask me to explain the finer details of why Tom knew about Horcruxes at such a young age, I'd probably say it's possible that he had heard of them before, but his talk with Slughorn was the first he'd gotten to know the finer points of what they are and what their purpose is. That's what happens in this universe, at least ;)

Anyway, enjoy! & please review!

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><p>Dumbledore had just finished brewing a warm mug of Muggle hot chocolate and was stirring in mini marshmallows with a tiny spoon. Marie had gone cold and silent with shock; the professor really couldn't blame her, to be honest. Finding out that you had killed a girl in your first year at Hogwarts was bad enough, but learning that you had done it to make a Horcrux...it would be too much for anyone.<p>

Dumbledore handed the mug to Marie who took it with shaking hands. She didn't take a sip; she just let it warm her hands.

Not knowing quite what else to say, Dumbledore figured he might as well just talk as if to himself. "You were only a first year, Marie," he said, trying to comfort her.

"Even a first year knows that murder is wrong," Marie whispered. She took one sip of the hot chocolate.

"But not that a Horcrux is. Think about it. Immortality. Having more than one soul. It's a tempting thought, but once you delve into the basics and how to acquire those souls, that's when you realize how dangerous and horrifying the endeavor is," Dumbledore explained. "Not beforehand."

"Tom," Marie said, remembering everything in small snippets, "he kept that knowledge away from me. He only told me what we were doing, not how we were doing it. He said 'immortality' and 'Horcrux' and I said okay. I didn't stop to think...I didn't even research..."

"You wouldn't have found anything on it anyway. All the books on Horcruxes and other Dark Arts are in the Restricted Section."

Marie groaned and her head fell forward, her chin resting on her chest. "That doesn't mean I was totally innocent. Now I know what Dippet meant when he said I'm lucky I wasn't sent to Azkaban. I _should've_been sent there. I'm a murderer."

"You were young and naïve. That's not a crime," Dumbledore reassured her. "And Tom was manipulative...anyone in your place would've gone through the same thing."

"Why did he need me?" Marie asked. "What made me so special?"

Dumbledore made a low noise in the back of his throat. It sounded like a chuckle, but much less amused. He sounded disgusted in a way. "Tom took a bit of a liking to you back then."

Marie blanched and then turned red. "A liking? Really? How do you know?"

"Even gossip travels amongst the professors here," Dumbledore said with a wry smile. "I heard about it from an older student who knew I was keeping tabs on Tom. Tom got you involved because he _wanted_you to be involved. He wanted to get closer to you, to know you better."

"He involved me on purpose."

"Yes. He thought the more time you spent with him and learned how brilliant he is, the more you'd come to like him."

Marie was thunderstruck. Dumbledore watched her facial expressions change from surprise to confusion and then finally to anger.

"If he liked me so much, why did he get me expelled?"

"It wasn't on purpose," Dumbledore reassured her. "You looked like the more guilty party at the time. When Miss Grace died, Tom fled but you stayed behind, distraught over the body. Dippet found you and waited for no other evidence."

Marie's cheeks flushed in anger at the thought of Dippet accusing her without hearing her response. "So Tom didn't defend me?"

"How could he? He'd risk getting himself expelled too."

"Sniveling little prick."

Dumbledore chuckled as a knock sounded at his door. Marie cocked an eyebrow in surprise as Dumbledore stood and strode over to the door, opening it swiftly.

"Good evening, Mr. Riddle. I was wondering whether you'd get my message."

Marie sat upright so fast she nearly lost hold of her hot chocolate. Tom was here? Invited by Dumbledore?

Sure enough, Tom Riddle stepped into the room dressed in matching black pajamas; the color really stood out against his pale skin. His pale blue eyes flashed when he spotted Marie.

"Well hello there, Miss Fugazi," Tom greeted her facetiously.

Marie ignored him and looked at Dumbledore. "Why is he here?"

"I invited him," Dumbledore said matter-of-factly. "I think there's a few things you two need to sort out."

Tom grinned at her, again like a Cheshire cat. She looked away quickly as Dumbledore left the room, saying along his way, "I'll just leave you two alone then..." He opened a door that led to another chamber in his office and shut it with a loud bang.

Marie and Tom stared at each other.

"You have some nerve coming here," Marie spat. She set her mug down on the little coffee table and stood up to face away from Tom.

His voice was rough with amusement. "I couldn't say no to a professor's very cordial invitation."

"You think you're so witty and clever."

"Why thank you."

She looked over her shoulder to glare at him. "That wasn't a compliment."

Tom shrugged nonchalantly. "I'll take what I can get at this point. It's only you anyway."

"Only me?" Marie scoffed. She turned to face him fully. "Dumbledore told me how you used me to help you make your Horcrux because you liked me. Is that true?"

"Maybe. Maybe not," Tom answered with a sly grin. "Does it really make a difference?"

"It makes all the difference! Why did you involve me? Of all people...I was in Gryffindor! You hated us!"

"I hated you as a House and as a group. But not you alone." Tom's voice softened as he spoke. The stiff posture he kept seemed to loosen a notch. "You were never one to distinguish between Houses...Gryffindor versus Slytherin versus Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw. You saw people. That's what I liked about you."

"I-" Marie cut herself off in surprise. It was the first real compliment Tom Riddle had ever given her.

"Besides," Tom seemed to be talking aimlessly now, "you never judged anybody. Ever. Not even me, the little weird orphan boy."

"I never thought of you that way," Marie reassured him. She was remembering all of this now, everything from her first year. "You were always just Tom to me."

Tom scoffed and looked down at his feet. "Just Tom."

She frowned. "Well, yes. You can't really expect any more than that, can you? After all, you did get me expelled. And you haven't exactly been the nicest person since."

"I can't expect it, but I can at least hope."

She was stunned. Was he admitting something to her or simply trying to trick her again? She was never able to tell.

Tom sighed and uncrossed his arms. "This was pointless." He turned on his heel and started walking to the door to leave. "Goodnight, Fugazi."

"Wait."

Marie hurried over to his side and put a hand on his arm to stop him. "This wasn't pointless. Dumbledore called you here so we can talk things over."

"There's nothing to talk about. You implied so yourself. I got you expelled, ergo I'm still an untrustworthy asshole who never can and never will change. I get it. Can I go back to bed now?"

Marie, hurt and stunned, dropped her hand. "That's not what I meant..."

"Really?" Tom looked at her, his eyes cold. "Then what did you mean?"

She didn't answer. She didn't need to. He was just messing with her head again, trying to play the sympathy card maybe. What did he have in mind this time? Another Horcrux? Maybe raising a vampire baby in the Forbidden Forest together?

"I know what you're doing. You're just trying to make me feel sorry for you," Marie accused.

Tom feigned surprise and put a hand to his mouth. "Oh my, you've caught me red-handed. That was my plan all along. It had nothing to do with trying to make up for past mistakes, or trying to be a better person towards you. No." He grinned sinisterly and his voice dropped in volume and slowed down. "I just wanted to keep _fucking with your head._"

"You are such a prick!" Marie shouted at him. "For once, just for once, can you take something seriously?"

"I can. I just choose not to," Tom responded, the veins in his neck standing out slightly. "Life is more fun that way."

"You're one to talk about having fun, you little-"

Before Marie could finish her sentence, Tom had taken a step forward and pressed his lips to hers, shutting her up instantly. Her heart hammered against her chest and her pulse quickened as her face turned hot with surprise. At first Marie struggled against him when she felt his arms wrap around her waist, but then her eyes closed and she fell into his embrace. She had just allowed her hands to slide up to the back of his neck when Tom broke the kiss and stepped back, breathing hard.

"Maybe you're right. Maybe I am just fucking with your head," Tom said with a small grin.

He turned swiftly, opened the door to the office, and left Marie standing there, dazed and confused as ever before.

_What the hell was that all about?_

She touched a finger to her lips. She could faintly taste hot chocolate.


	11. Twisted Nerve

**AN: **Thanks for being so patient, everybody. Hope you like the update! Please R&R.

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><p>It was as if a whole new set of doors opened up in Marie's world, but she wasn't entirely sure she was happy about it. Kissing Tom hadn't been on her list of things to do while at Hogwarts, but sure enough it happened and things weren't quite the same after that. Whenever they were forced into the same room together – like in class or the Great Hall – Tom would catch Marie's eye and wait for a reaction from her. She would glare at him, promising herself not to give him anything to feel so smug about, but that glare she gave him was enough. He knew: she was still angry with him.<p>

A week passed, and then another. Soon the air was bitter cold with the onset of autumn, and Marie still tried to avoid Tom as part of her daily schedule. She had no other friends in Slytherin and Victoria and Siobhan were, for the most part, nonexistent. They acknowledged her only with a curt nod in the hall or in class.

Feeling more alone than ever, Marie tried to find solace in other places but to no avail. She wasn't athletic and so the Quidditch team was a no. She had no interest in Exploding Snap or Wizard Chess, and so those were clubs of no use to her.

Marie soon decided that clubs and teams wouldn't help her because nobody wanted to be near her. She blamed that on the fact that word had gotten out about her very controversial first year at Hogwarts. Everyone thought she was a cold-blooded murderer.

The only one who hung out with Marie on occasion was Nicolette Wray, the half vampire girl. Marie, at first, was less than thrilled about Nicolette's company, but the more people began to avoid her, the more used to Nicolette she became.

They sat together now at dinner, with Nicolette tearing into a very raw piece of meat hungrily, sans fork and knife. Marie sat next to her poking at her mashed potatoes with her fork listlessly.

"You know," Nicolette was saying as Marie tried to tune her out, "we should do something fun this weekend. It's Halloween."

Marie shrugged one shoulder. "I've never really been one for Halloween festivities."

"What – your parents afraid you'll be eaten by a werewolf?"

Marie's lips turned upwards at the obvious joke. "No, nothing like that. Beauxbatons was just never really big on it."

"Uptight French girls in a prissy all-girls' school...yes, I can see why you may not have had much experience in parties," Nicolette observed aloud. She didn't notice the look of disgust Marie threw her.

Marie went back to ignoring Nicolette for the rest of the time they sat together. Across from her and a little bit to her left, Tom was sitting eating his cooked steak silently. Every once in a while he would look up at her and try to smile, but Marie pretended not to notice. Unfortunately for her, Nicolette did.

"Marie, I think Tom wants to tell you something," Nicolette said. "He keeps looking at you."

"Well you can tell that slimy bastard that no thank you, but I appreciate his effort," Marie snapped.

"Wow. No need to get your panties in a twist," Nicolette said with a little smile.

"My panties are _not_in a twist. Especially for Tom Riddle."

"Mhmm."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing."

Marie, not quite liking what Nicolette was implying, quickly downed the last of her pumpkin juice and stood up from the bench. A few Slytherin heads turned in her direction but they went promptly back to eating. Tom, however, continued to stare at her. She turned away quickly, not wanting their eyes to meet.

"Where're you going?" Nicolette asked as Marie stepped out from the bench.

"I don't know," she lied before taking off like a shot to the nearest exit. She didn't want to give Tom a chance to follow her.

She rounded the corner quickly and broke into a sprint down the hall. Her shoes clattered loudly against the stone floor but when Marie turned to look behind her, nobody was there. Good. That meant Tom was far behind her.

She turned ahead and ran through the castle, only stopping a few times to catch her breath if she needed to. She tried not to do this often, though. She didn't want to give anyone a chance to catch up with her. And so she continued to run up staircases and through the labyrinthine hallways until she reached her destination: the library.

Of course Madam Pince would be at dinner right now, but Marie hadn't counted on her locking up the library. Unfortunately, that was exactly what she had done. No matter how hard Marie tried to pull on the doors, they wouldn't budge.

Frustrated, she whipped out her hand and pointed at the doorknobs. "_Alohomora,_" she whispered.

Nothing happened. Marie kicked the wooden doors. There was probably a more advanced spell she had to know in order to get in. Curse her being away for so long; Beauxbatons hadn't given her the same education as Hogwarts would have, and so she was a little behind when it came to Charms.

Marie tried again, but still the door remained shut.

"Now I _know_you're not trying to get in there to study."

Marie screamed slightly at the sound of Tom's voice directly behind her. She whirled around on her heel and found her face nearly bumping into his chest. How had he snuck up on her like that? She had been so sure that she wasn't being followed, and yet here he was like always, butting his head into things that she didn't want him to be involved in. After all, this was his entire fault.

"Go away, Tom," Marie snapped, turning her back on him and focusing her stare on the doorknob as if it would open at will.

"I believe the Exploding Charm will work on the door, if that's what you wanted to know," Tom said as he leaned closer to Marie. He had his face right next to hers and she could feel his breath on her neck.

Thoroughly uncomfortable, Marie sidestepped away from Tom. "That's not what I was wondering, but thank you anyway."

Tom smirked at her. "What exactly are you looking for in the library, anyway?"

"Nothing of interest to you," Marie told him before turning around again and storming off in the opposite direction.

"So now you're heading off to the Hufflepuff Tower, why?" Tom asked her patronizingly.

Marie, realizing exactly where she was storming off to, realized he was right. How infuriating. She stopped walking and crossed her arms over her chest, annoyed at him and at herself. She waited, hearing Tom's footsteps as he approached her once again.

"What're you doing following me, Riddle?" Marie asked.

"So now we're on a last name basis? Come now, Marie, I thought we're friends." Something dangerous flashed in his eyes but only a coy smile covered his face.

"I thought we could be, until I found out you framed me for murdering another student," Marie hissed through her teeth. She jabbed a finger into his chest. "Who do you think you are, thinking you can just walk up to me and expect to be friends? Expect for me to forgive you, or to forget what you did to me? How you ruined my life?"

"Now's not the time to play the self-pity card," Tom snickered.

"_Self-pity card?_You think I'm looking for your sympathy?"

"Not looking. Begging."

Marie shoved him but he didn't so much as budge. "You're a complete and utter ass, you know that?"

"So I've been told."

"Really. And it never occurred to you to be a better person to others, did it?"

"I've always been taught never to change who you are based on what other people want from you or expect you to be," Tom said with a knowing smile.

"Well, I think you could be an exception to the rule."

"Imagine that."

Marie took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She brushed a wayward lock of blonde hair from her face. "Why were you following me? Answer me for real this time."

"You're interesting to follow. First Dumbledore's office, now the library...I haven't been here in quite some time."

"Not since you wanted to learn how to make a Horcrux, huh?"

Without warning, Tom grabbed her shoulders and wheeled her around so fast her vision was blurred. He backed her up and slammed her hard against the wall behind her. Marie's head cracked against the stone and her eyes teared in pain. Before she had a chance to cry out, Tom's hands moved from her shoulders to the collar of her robes where he gripped tightly and held her in place.

"Don't you _ever_ say that word _again_," he snarled in her face. "Do you understand me?"

He shook her hard and her head came close to hitting the wall again.

"I-I...I'm sorry!" Marie choked out, on the verge of tears. "I didn't mean to..."

"You'd better think damn well next time before you say anything about _that_. Do you understand?" He shook her again. "Do you realize how much trouble you could land _both of us_in?"

"I'm sorry!"

"You better damn well be." And he released her.

Marie took a deep breath and gasped for air. Her head throbbed a bit and her vision was a little wonky. Tom stood in front of her, practically breathing fire.

"And here I thought you were the smart one, Fugazi," he murmured. "Talking about _those things_in the middle of a hallway..."

"Nobody's here with us," Marie managed to say breathlessly.

"Doesn't mean nobody's listening. The paintings, you dunce. Remember?" Tom motioned to a portrait of a king further down the hall. "Who's to say he didn't hear you?"

Marie, to be honest, had forgotten about the paintings. She rubbed the back of her head angrily. "Well that doesn't give you the excuse to slam me up against a wall like that. You could've really hurt me."

"But I didn't. Did I?" His voice changed drastically when he asked her. He went from arrogant and lofty to worried and anxious at the drop of a hat.

"If I have a concussion, I'll let you know." Marie, still massaging the back of her head, turned away from him in case he snapped again and started to walk back to the Great Hall.

Predictably, she heard Tom's footsteps following her.

Marie whirled around. "Tom, what do you want now? Haven't you done enough damage?"

And it happened again. Tom leaned down towards her, but this time when Marie caught on and tried to move away from him, he grabbed her by the back of her neck and pulled her into him. His lips caught hers and he wrapped his other arm around her waist, smashing them together. Marie tried to push herself away but before she could, he thrust her away from him.

"_Now_I've done enough damage," Tom corrected with an impish smile.

"Tom!" Marie shoved him again. "Why the hell do you keep doing that?"

"Doing what?"

Marie threw her hands up in the air. "You're ridiculous! I give up. If you want to fuck around and not show your true feelings for anyone or anything, fine. Have fun by yourself."

"Trust me, sweetheart," Tom called after her as she walked away, "you won't be able to get me off your mind no matter how hard you try."

"Oh really?" Marie asked challengingly, calling to him over her shoulder. "And why's that?"

"Because that's just who I am."

Tom's laughter echoed down the hallway after her.

The following day Marie decided to have another go at the library. She ate a quick breakfast (again ignoring the stares that Tom gave her) before darting out of the Great Hall. When she discovered that the library was open, she unfortunately found that Madam Pince was hovering too closely to the Restricted Section for Marie to get a good spot to sneak in.

Cursing herself under her breath, Marie was close to giving up on her endeavor altogether when she recognized a Slytherin seventh year with brown hair and an abnormally large nose sorting books onto one of the shelves near her.

"Psst!" Marie hissed.

The seventh year girl looked at her oddly. "What?"

"Where are those books from?" Marie pointed to the huge stack of books the girl was sifting through.

The girl shrugged one shoulder. "I dunno. Pince just told me to put them back."

"Are they from the Restricted Section?" Marie asked.

The girl snorted derisively. "No. Pince wouldn't let a student put away any books from the Restricted Section. Are you daft?"

The girl walked away then, carrying the large stack of books with both hands. Marie's face burned embarrassedly. Of course that _would_be the case, wouldn't it? So how was she supposed to find out more about –

And then an idea came to Marie. Quietly as so not to attract Madam Pince's attention, Marie hurried across the library to the librarian's little office. She looked carefully over her shoulder to make sure Madam Pince wasn't looking before slipping inside and closing the door slightly. Once Marie was certain that the librarian hadn't seen her, she walked over to the smallish wooden desk that was covered in inkwells, quills, parchment, and stacks of old dusty books.

"Please be in here," Marie muttered to herself as she opened the top drawer of the desk. Nothing was in there except more pieces of blank parchment.

She shut the drawer quietly and opened the next one.

Bingo. It was an order form from Flourish and Blotts for extra library books. This one was totally blank. Marie tucked it away in the sleeve of her robes and made sure nothing was out of its rightful place before slipping out of the office and high-tailing it out of the library before anyone suspected anything.

Marie had it all figured out. She would order a book on Horcruxes from Flourish and Blotts and have it delivered to her personally by owl. Normally she would try and just get a pass to go into the Restricted Section, but by now Dumbledore probably figured out what she would be looking for and would have probably advised the other professors against signing off for her. She would have to wait a few weeks or so for the book order to come in, but it would be worth it in the end. In the meantime, she would try and piece together whatever else was missing from her fractured past.

And that, unfortunately, meant finding out more about Tom Marvolo Riddle.


	12. Splendid Isolation

**AN: **Thank you guys again for your patience!

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><p>Marie found him sitting in their Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom a half hour early. He was reading from the middle of the textbook, which was far ahead from where they actually were as a class. Merrythought wasn't even there yet when Marie plonked her bag down in the seat next to him and pulled out the chair to sit down.<p>

Tom didn't even look up when he said, "You're here early, Fugazi."

"As are you, Tom."

He smiled at the use of his first name. "Finally getting back into friendly spirits, are we?"

"You could say that." She sat down in the chair next to him and gazed at the open book he was reading. "Do you like reading ahead?"

"I just like the subject. It's interesting, isn't it? Using magic to defend oneself against more magic. It's like magic is unbiased. It can be used for good or evil. It all depends on the witch or wizard using it."

"I guess...when you look at it that way, sure, it sounds interesting."

Tom's lips curled into a smile. "You don't sound interested."

Marie couldn't help but smile back. "I'm not as easily amused as you are."

She found it strange how easily she was talking to him now. She hadn't forgotten the night before of course, not with him slamming her into the wall and nearly cracking her skull open, but for some reason that moment seemed lightyears away. That was Tom then, and this was he now before her, and the two Toms seemed so vastly different. The Tom now was easygoing and almost enjoyable to talk to.

Marie nearly gagged at the thought. Enjoyable? Talking to Tom Riddle? That was going a bit too far.

She snapped back to reality when Tom shut his book with a snap and turned in his seat to look at her. "So tell me, why are you here so early?"

Marie shrugged one shoulder. "I don't really know." She paused. "I guess I wanted to see you in your natural habitat."

"A classroom?" Tom raised an eyebrow.

"Alone," Marie corrected. She waved an arm around, indicating the empty classroom. "Whenever I see you, you're always alone."

"That's not true. I only ever see you at meals and in class, and I'm always with other people in the same room," Tom said, trying to be funny. "Unless, of course, you've been following me elsewhere..." He cocked an eyebrow. "Have you?"

"In your dreams," Marie said, shoving his elbow lightly.

Tom laughed a little. "You're more upbeat today," he observed.

"I got a good night's sleep," she lied.

He nodded once and glanced over his shoulder at the door to the classroom before leaning in closer to Marie. At first, she thought he was going to kiss her (again) but instead he stopped an inch from her face.

"I didn't hurt you last night, did I?" he whispered. His eyebrows were furrowed in deep concern and there wasn't a trace of a smile on his face now.

Marie shook her head. "No, you didn't. But..." she paused, wondering if she should dare continue, and then did so anyway, "why do you always do that?"

"Do what?"

"Become like two different people? Here you are now, talking to me like normal, but last night..." she trailed off. "Last night you were...animalistic."

Tom chuckled. "Animalistic. Now that's an adjective I haven't heard used to describe me before." He stopped and picked at a loose thread in his robes. "I'm sorry if I come off as harsh sometimes. I'm not used to..."

He stopped there. Marie waited for him to go on, but he didn't.

"Used to what?" she asked.

He sighed. "I don't go around telling people my life story. It makes me sound like a self-loathing bastard."

"Really?" Marie asked. "I mean, if someone were to ask you about yourself, there's nothing wrong with telling them..."

"I personally have a problem with it." He stopped there and his knuckles turned white as he tightened his hands into fists. "I don't like it when people delve into my past."

"Something to hide?"

"Doesn't everyone?" He looked at her knowingly. "You of all people should know."

Marie brushed off the light insult and said, "The difference is that up until a few weeks ago, I couldn't tell people about my past even if I wanted to. I was made to forget everything."

"And now?" Tom's eyes were shining. "Now, if people asked you about your past, would you tell them?"

"Of course not."

"Well then."

"But you and I are different," Marie added quietly. "You didn't murder anyone."

"No. I didn't." Tom looked at her, and for the first time Marie thought she saw real sorrow in his eyes. "But I helped you, and that's just as close."

"You mean I helped you. You're the one who wanted to...to make the thing." Marie caught herself before Tom could bash her head in again. "I was just a pawn."

"A pawn that I blamed for murder," Tom corrected. He began tracing patterns gently with one finger on the back of Marie's hand. "I _am _sorry for that, you know. I didn't know what else to do at the time...you must understand, we were both eleven and I panicked when the girl died. I ran for it." He looked up at her and caught her eyes. "You stayed behind."

Marie swallowed hard.

"Why did you stay behind?" Tom asked. It sounded like the question had been burning in the back of his throat for years, itching to come out but never having the chance to do so. "You could have run off, you could have claimed innocence, or blamed me. But you didn't."

"Everything happened so fast," Marie said, her memories becoming clearer as she thought back to that fateful day. "At the time, I was so sure I had been the one who killed Charlotte Grace. I was the one kneeling over her...with her blood on my hands and pieces of her skin in my hair..." Marie could feel the tears pricking her eyes but willed them not to fall. "When they found me, I didn't think that far ahead. I just knew one of us had done it, and you were nowhere to be found so...so I took the blame. I still take the blame."

"You have no right to be carrying that burden by yourself," Tom said softly. "I was the one who roped you into my plans in the first place."

"Because you liked me."

This was the first time Marie brought it up straight to his face, but she knew it was something that had to be addressed. Tom's face flushed red for an instant but then he regained his composure.

"Yes. That was my original intention," he admitted at last.

"Show me how smart and brilliant you were and I'd fall in love with you?" Marie said with a giggle.

"It's funny to you now, but at the time it was a completely serious notion," Tom argued. "I didn't know how else to grab your attention. I tried flirting with your friend Victoria a few times to see how you would react, but you didn't. So I tried to be more adventurous."

"And look how well that ended up," Marie said sarcastically.

Tom leaned closer to her and his breath ghosted her face lightly. "Haven't you ever wanted to live forever, Marie? Be invincible? Be able to live life without fear of death?"

Marie frowned. "Those are strong convictions for an eleven year old."

"I was mature for my age."

"I'll say."

"You must understand. I had great plans at that age. It was all I could do to not jump for joy when you started helping me with my dream."

"Of being immortal?" He nodded. Marie sighed. "You never even told me what it was we were making. You just said it would benefit the world."

"It would eventually."

"How?"

Tom shook his head. "I've said too much already."

Marie gaped at him. "You're not still planning on making more of _those_, are you?"

"If I was, I promise not to get you involved again," Tom swore. He jerked away from her and turned forward in his seat. "I won't ruin your life twice. I promise." He sighed and his head fell forward into his heads. "It's hard enough with you here again."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Marie asked.

Unfortunately, they were interrupted by the sudden incoming flow of students just arriving for class. When Merrythought walked to the front of the room and began her lecture, Marie knew the spell between her and Tom was broken for now. She hadn't learned much, but at least he now felt comfortable enough around her to talk like a normal human being.

That was a start, wasn't it?


	13. Act Nice and Gentle

**AN: **Sorry for the wait. Please R&R!

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><p>It wasn't until two days after Marie had begun mending her relationship with Tom that she made an unlikely friend. Sort of.<p>

Nicolette, who was beginning to grow on Marie despite her rather coarse and aggressive attitude, had dragged her to one of the Slytherin Quidditch practices. Nicolette apparently harbored a secret but strong crush on Jeremy Stoker, the Slytherin Captain and Beater on the team, and wanted to watch him practice in order to show her "moral support" for their House team. Marie had asked her if Jeremy even knew she existed. Nicolette had responded with a shrug and wave of the hand.

And so it was on a cloudless fall day that Marie found herself following Nicolette unwillingly down to the Quidditch pitch. Nicolette was, for the first time, acting like a normal teenage girl, babbling on about this Jeremy bloke.

"...and just _wait _until you see him when he gets a good hit off a Bludger! Blimey, I wish they wore sleeveless Quidditch robes so we could see their arms. I bet they're loaded with muscles..."

It went on and on like that as Marie trudged after the vampire girl, shaking her head and giggling to herself along the way. Nicolette was nearly tripping over herself with excitement.

When they arrived at the pitch, they found that they weren't the only people there to watch. It turned out that Jeremy had a fan club of sorts; there was a gaggle of other girls – mostly third years – huddled together on the tall bleachers, talking to each other excitedly and giving one particular Quidditch player sideways glances.

"That's him!" Nicolette breathed animatedly. "There, the one in the green robes with the Beater's bat and the Captain's pin!"

"Really? I had no idea that he was the Slytherin Captain-Beater hybrid of the Quidditch team. I mean, you've only told me about fifty times. Fifty-one would've done the trick."

Nicolette elbowed her playfully and made her way towards one of the teetering staircases that led up to the bleachers. Marie made a motion to follow her when she saw Nicolette jump down three stairs in one move and land back on the ground, looking disgusted.

"What is it?" Marie asked, striding to her side.

"Have to make way for the big 'un," Nicolette muttered.

Marie was about to ask what (or who) a "big 'un" was when she found out. A massive, lumbering hulk of a boy was descending the staircase, which creaked violently with every step he took. The tangle of hair on his head nearly covered his whole face, but Marie could see the red tint to his face; he was blushing furiously, clearly not enjoying the attention he was getting.

"Sorry abou' that," the boy said in a deep, gruff voice as he passed by Nicolette. "Can't seem ter get a safe spot ter watch the team."

"You're not even in Slytherin, Hagrid," Nicolette snapped. "What're you doing here?"

"Can't a guy watch a Quidditch practice in peace?" the boy – Hagrid, was it? – responded, not catching onto Nicolette's unfriendly tone. "Blimey, it's not an interrogation or nuthin'."

"You could be a Gryffindor spy trying to steal their moves," Nicolette reasoned. "Either way, you shouldn't be here."

"Now, what would I wan' with their _moves_?" Hagrid wondered with a booming laugh. "'S not like I play Quidditch meself."

"Oh for heaven's sake, never mind," Nicolette growled, pushing past him and climbing up the stairs.

Marie made a move to follow her but then paused, deep in thought for a moment. Finally, she sighed and turned to face Hagrid.

"Sorry about her," Marie apologized for the other girl. "She's not really manner-friendly, if you know what I mean."

"'S all righ'. I don' take it personally or nuthin'. It's all House rivalries, innit?" Hagrid said with a smile.

Marie returned it and held out her hand. "Marie Fugazi. Slytherin. Obviously."

Hagrid shook her hand. "Rubeus Hagrid. Gryffindor." He grinned knowingly. "_Obviously_."

Marie opened her mouth to make a light joke when she felt a heavy hand land on her shoulder and lead her away quickly.

"Thank you, Hagrid, but I can take it from here," an all-too familiar voice called back to the enormous boy.

"Tom!" Marie hissed. "What is _wrong _with you? I was in the middle of a conversation!"

"And heaven forbid I didn't reach you in time," Tom said with an exaggerated shudder. "Imagine you hanging out with the likes of that half-breed...eugh."

Marie shook his hand off of her and turned to face him. "What on earth are you on about? A half-breed? A half-breed of what?"

"He's half giant. Can you imagine? I wonder how that worked out. I mean, I know his father was a human, so I guess the sex couldn't have been _that _difficult. Had it been the other way around, on the other hand –"

Marie slapped his shoulder hard to keep him from finishing his thought. "That's not funny, Tom!"

"You hit me," Tom said in a shocked tone.

"And you slammed me into a stone wall. Now we're even," Marie huffed.

Tom wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "If you want, I can do more than just slam you into a wall."

"Tom!" she cried, but she was laughing. That was probably the first time Tom Riddle had ever told a good-natured joke, let alone let slip an innuendo. It was refreshing for Marie to hear that instead of his usual string of nonsense and insults.

He, too, was grinning at her, but not in a cruel or suggestive way. It was lighthearted and almost carefree. Almost. There was still something secret hidden behind the dazzling white teeth and the misty eyes. Marie had no idea what it was yet, but she made a mental note to herself to find out. It might just be the key to open more doors to her puzzling past.

Almost unwillingly, Marie snapped her eyes away from Tom's face, blushing furiously. She hoped he hadn't caught her staring.

He had. He was looking at her with a mischievous grin plastered on his face.

"Marie," he drawled in a singsong voice. "You should know by now it's impolite to stare."

She had a horde of nasty things to say back to him by way of response but chose not to. The last thing she needed was to enter a back-and-forth argument with Tom Riddle.

Instead, she ignored his statement and instead brought the subject back to Hagrid. "So, why don't you like that boy? Hagrid?"

"You mean, other than the fact that he's a dirty rotten half-bred monster? Nothing. That's pretty much it."

Marie frowned. "He seemed sweet."

"Before he grinds your bones to make his bread."

"Tom, shut up. I'm serious. You shouldn't judge people so harshly. You don't even know the boy."

"I don't have to know him to know that I want nothing to do with him. He's a moron, Marie. He's not the sharpest tooth in the Tentacula plant, and he's not even a full wizard to boot."

"What does that matter?" Marie asked.

Tom refused to answer her, instead choosing to walk up the rickety staircase to the high bleachers. Marie tagged along, still feeling as though their conversation was not yet done with.

"Well, I think he's a lovely person," Marie continued, bating Tom into reacting. "In fact, I might ask him to the Halloween dance with me."

This year was the second year of a new tradition at Hogwarts: Halloween dances to go along with the enormous feast. Most of the students enjoyed the festivities and went all out; Marie had overheard two girls comparing the event to a Muggle prom. Girls wore beautiful dresses and boys wore tuxedos and suits. Last year Dippet hired a live band to perform and so everyone's hopes were high this year that he would get someone good, perhaps a band like the Ungrateful Dead. Either way, Marie was excited to go. Beauxbatons never had any fun events like Hogwarts did. It was all prim and proper in that school.

Tom laughed loudly at Marie's revelation. "You and that oaf? At the Halloween dance together? Oh please. Please do ask him. That's something I'd pay money to see: you and Rubeus Hagrid dancing together. He'd crush you like a beetle." He wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "I need to see this."

Marie set her jaw defiantly. "All right then. I will."

She stomped back down the creaky stairs and found Hagrid standing where she last left him.

"Hey, Rubeus?" Marie asked uncertainly.

"Jus' call me Hagrid. Everyone else does," he said with a wide grin. "Whas' on yer mind?"

"I was just wondering if you wanted to go to the Halloween dance together," Marie said loudly enough for Tom to pick up; she had noticed him eavesdropping just behind the banister.

Hagrid's eyes widened in genuine shock. "You an' me? B-but yer a Slytherin! An' a sixth-year!"

"Yes, well, I have this new thing where I'm trying not to be the stereotypical Slytherin prick."

"I see." Hagrid smiled again. "Then it would be my honor takin' you ter the Halloween dance."

Marie hadn't noticed that the Slytherin Quidditch team had paused practice to watch this exchange going on. The three Chasers were whispering animatedly to each other while Jeremy Stoker, Nicolette's love interest, was staring at Marie with a curious expression on his face. Up in the bleachers, Nicolette looked furious at the events unfolding, not just between Marie and Hagrid, but because she noticed Jeremy staring too. She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest tightly, willing herself not to rush down there and tear Marie's head off.

When Marie finished with Hagrid, she ascended the stairs again only to meet Tom halfway up.

"I can't believe you did it," he said with what sounded like reluctant admiration. "And in front of a whole gaggle of Slytherins at that."

"You have yet to understand that I have no shame when it comes to being civil," Marie told him as she poked him playfully in the chest.

Tom grinned at her. "I can see that now." He straightened his green Slytherin tie and ran a hand through his tousled hair. "Well then, Miss Fugazi, I have one wish that I would very much like you to grant for me, and that will be all."

"Oh really?" Marie cocked an eyebrow. Granting Tom a wish could be anything ranging from stealing gold from Gringotts to pushing a first year Hufflepuff down the moving staircase. He was like that.

But the smile on Tom's face now was real and almost sweet. He leaned towards her, not in a creepy way, and gently planted a kiss on her cheek. Marie stood there as if frozen in the moment, not sure whether she should push him off or see what he would do next. She chose the latter option.

Tom moved his lips from her cheek to her ear. Marie resisted the urge to shiver when she felt his breath against her earlobe and neck as he spoke:

"Save just one dance for me."


	14. Stop Standing There

**AN: **Sorry for the long wait. Enjoy!

* * *

><p>"You look like a great orange pumpkin in that one. It's repulsive. Try another one."<p>

"Thank you for your kind words."

"Shut up and take the dress off."

Marie stepped behind the large black curtain at the dressing room of Gladrags Wizardwear to take off the orange dress she had picked to try on. She was shopping for the Halloween dance...with Tom, of all people. And let the record show that he wasn't exactly the best companion for such a trip. He either thought all the dresses she picked were ugly, or he complimented her on the wonderful way some dresses gave her a proper cleavage. In either case, Marie always put the dress back on the floating rack that accompanied her into the little dressing area.

On the other side of the drawn curtain, she could hear Tom yawning. "We've been in here for a good hour now. Just pick one of the red dresses and buy it, already."

"You just want me to wear one of the red ones because those have a low neckline," Marie snorted as she slipped the orange dress off and selected one of the few left that she hadn't yet tried on.

"I'm a man. We have no control over these things."

Marie rolled her eyes and slipped the new dress over her head. "Hey Tom, I need help zipping this one up. Mind lending a hand?"

"Really?"

"Not on your life. Stay there."

"...that was completely unnecessary and a bit cruel, Fugazi."

Marie didn't respond but smiled to herself. Once she took her hair out of the bun it was in and shook it around her face, and she was sure that everything else on the dress was where it should be, she drew the curtain back.

"Voila!" she said dramatically, throwing one arm out for added flair.

Tom looked up from a copy of the Daily Prophet he had been perusing and his mouth fell open slightly. Marie, feeling uncomfortable, threw one arm across her chest as if to cover herself.

"No, that's not what I...I mean, it looks...Hmm..." Tom stammered.

"What's 'hmm?' What's that supposed to mean?" Marie asked, her face feeling flushed.

The dress was a beautiful baby blue color. It was one shouldered and had a silver sparkling belt at the waist that highlighted Marie's curves. The bottom was slightly ruffled and there was a bow at the shoulder near her neck. Feeling slightly exposed at the short length of the dress, Marie felt the urge to dive back behind the curtain. Instead she fought the desire and forced herself to stand there under Tom's stare.

"Hmm..." Tom repeated, probably just to annoy her. He had one finger touching his chin thoughtfully. "There's something a little off about it..."

"If you say one word about a lack of cleavage – "

She was cut off when Tom got up from his rickety chair and walked towards her. She took an involuntary step back but her back brushed against the curtain and she stopped herself before she tripped.

"I can't put my finger on it..." Tom said, still deep in thought. "But it's missing something."

"A longer hem."

"Shush."

Tom suddenly looked like something clicked in that devious brain of his. "I know."

Without asking her permission, Tom used both hands and gently brushed Marie's hair off her shoulders. He made a noise of dissatisfaction and tenderly grabbed two handfuls of her hair, twisted them up behind her, and put them in the imitation of a bun back on her head.

"Much better." He sounded pleased. "You were hiding your face."

They stood like that for a moment, Tom still with his hands in her hair and his face dangerously close to hers. Marie tried looking down at something other than his face, but when her eyes landed on his crotch area she had no choice but to look back up.

"I do have to say, though, I'm a bit disappointed the dress isn't green," Tom murmured, his voice unreasonably husky. "Green would really bring out your eyes."

"I think you just like green because it's a Slytherin color," Marie said gently.

"There's that, too."

His hands released her hair but instead she could feel them trailing lightly down her back and onto her hips where they rested. Luckily they were the only two people in the shop at the moment, minus the cashier at the counter, and she seemed to be too engrossed into her witches' gossip magazine to care about what was happening.

Tom leaned forward a bit to whisper: "If I promise not to ruin it, can I kiss you?"

Marie's heart did a violent palpitation at his words. "Why would you want to?"

"Because even though I've already kissed you twice, I never really _kissed_ you."

Marie locked eyes with him and immediately felt woozy. Was she about to faint? How embarrassing that would be. She had to maintain her consciousness.

"How do I know for certain you won't ruin it?" Marie asked, only half kidding.

Tom didn't answer and instead leaned forward a bit more and pressed his lips to hers. Marie, instead of freezing up this time, closed her eyes and found that her hands were already making their way around his neck. At this close range, Marie could smell the vanilla-like scent wafting from the dark green sweater he wore and it seemed to pull her deeper into her oblivion with Tom.

He sucked a little bit on her bottom lip, bit it lightly, and kissed her again before pulling away slightly to breathe. Marie found herself feeling disappointed when he did. She kept her hands around his neck and pulled herself forward so their foreheads were touching.

"Thank you for not ruining it," she mumbled, flashing him a little smile.

Tom looked like he wanted to say something but he bit his bottom lip instead. Marie found it oddly endearing.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Didn't you feel that?" Tom asked seriously, tightening his grip on Marie's hips.

"Feel what?"

"...nothing."

Something touched her forehead gently – his lips, she realized too late – and with a quick, "The dress looks beautiful on you" he was already heading for the door, eager to step onto High Street and leave the shop. Marie stood there, staring after his retreating back, still in the pale blue dress. Her hands were shaking slightly and she pressed them together palm to palm to stop them from doing so.

"Alright there, dearie?" The witch at the counter finally looked up from her magazine. "You gonna buy that lovely little number?"

"Y-Yes please..."

As the witch rang up the price at the surprisingly Muggle-looking register, Marie went behind the curtain to change back into her regular clothes. She couldn't keep her hands from shaking and it took her a bit longer to take the dress off with them trembling so. Tom had promised not to ruin the kiss, but somehow, unbelievably, he still did.


End file.
